Police: Houma man blackmailed Oprah Winfrey

Published: Tuesday, January 9, 2007 at 11:28 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 9, 2007 at 11:50 a.m.

HOUMA -- The man accused of trying to extort $1.5 million from talk-show host Oprah Winfrey is a Houma native who launched a failed bid for Terrebonne Parish Council in 1999.

Keifer Bonvillain, 36, was living in Atlanta at the time of his Dec. 15 arrest. He’s since been released on a $20,000 bond.

Bonvillain was charged after he threatened to release tapes of recorded telephone conversations he claimed would hurt her reputation, according to the FBI and published reports.

He was scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate Monday but waived the preliminary hearing, said Randall Samborn, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office.

A grand jury may be asked instead to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.

In October 1999 Bonvillain ran for the Terrebonne Parish Council District 2 seat, coming in third in a race against Wayne Thibodeaux and Aurestile Scott. District 2 covers areas including Gibson, Gray, Schriever and parts of west Houma.

During the campaign, he provided a Columbus Street address and listed his occupation as owner of a Baton Rouge bridal store.

Thibodeaux, the winner of that race and current executive director of the Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority, said he didn’t get to know Bonvillain very well during the campaign.

"I didn’t know much about him, and I didn’t try to get to know him," Thibodeaux said.

Jim Bonvillain, a Columbus Street resident, confirmed that Keifer Bonvillain is his son. He declined further comment.

Keifer Bonvillain attended South Terrebonne High School, and is listed as a senior in the school’s 1988 year book.

Keifer Bonvillain also is the younger brother of John Fitzgerald Bonvillain Sr., who was found guilty last month of killing 19-year-old Ashley Scivicque and hiding her plastic-wrapped body in the trunk of his car.

John Bonvillain also is accused of killing his wife, Cheryle McCann Bonvillain, whose body was found in a box inside their home. He’s set to stand trial for her murder later this month.

Keifer Bonvillain’s uncle, former Terrebonne Parish councilman Willie Bonvillain, said he hasn’t kept in close contact with Keifer and learned of his arrest Monday.

"I was surprised," said Willie Bonvillain, who currently serves on the Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority board. "You don’t know what these young people are going to do these days."

BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS

Samborn refused to confirm Winfrey was the target. The criminal complaint identifies Keifer Bonvillain’s aim as "Individual A," who was "a public figure and the owner of a Chicago-based company." The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, citing unnamed sources, have reported his target was Winfrey.

There was no response to phone messages left Monday by the Associated Press seeking comment from Harpo Productions Inc., Winfrey’s company.

According to the complaint, Keifer Bonvillain met a California-based employee of the Chicago company at a party more than two years ago, then recorded conversations with the employee about the owner and her business.

In mid-October he sent the owner an e-mail, telling her an employee said awful things about her, the complaint states.

A month later, Keifer Bonvillain sent a letter saying he had tapes of the conversations, an FBI agent alleges in the complaint. In response, another company associate called Keifer Bonvillain and learned he had taped 12 hours of those discussions.

Over the next few weeks, Keifer Bonvillain told the associate he wanted to publish a book based on the tapes and claimed he had received offers of $500,000 to $3 million from tabloids and book publishers, the complaint says.

"There are a lot of people who would want these," Keifer Bonvillain said, according to the complaint.

The associate, who was working with the FBI, agreed to a $1.5 million price, wired Keifer Bonvillain $3,000 in earnest money and arranged to meet him in the parking lot, the complaint says. Keifer Bonvillain was arrested the next day.

Keifer Bonvillain told the Chicago Sun-Times the charges were a misunderstanding.

"There is nothing to it," he said. "It’s nothing. It was a big mix-up."

An Associated Press call Saturday to a number for a Bonvillain in Atlanta reached a recorded message saying the line had been disconnected.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. Courier staff writer Mika Edwards can be reached at 857-2202 or mika.edwards@houmatoday.com

<p>HOUMA -- The man accused of trying to extort $1.5 million from talk-show host Oprah Winfrey is a Houma native who launched a failed bid for Terrebonne Parish Council in 1999.</p><p>Keifer Bonvillain, 36, was living in Atlanta at the time of his Dec. 15 arrest. He’s since been released on a $20,000 bond.</p><p>Bonvillain was charged after he threatened to release tapes of recorded telephone conversations he claimed would hurt her reputation, according to the FBI and published reports.</p><p>He was scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate Monday but waived the preliminary hearing, said Randall Samborn, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office.</p><p>A grand jury may be asked instead to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.</p><p>In October 1999 Bonvillain ran for the Terrebonne Parish Council District 2 seat, coming in third in a race against Wayne Thibodeaux and Aurestile Scott. District 2 covers areas including Gibson, Gray, Schriever and parts of west Houma.</p><p>During the campaign, he provided a Columbus Street address and listed his occupation as owner of a Baton Rouge bridal store.</p><p>Thibodeaux, the winner of that race and current executive director of the Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority, said he didn’t get to know Bonvillain very well during the campaign.</p><p>"I didn’t know much about him, and I didn’t try to get to know him," Thibodeaux said.</p><p>Jim Bonvillain, a Columbus Street resident, confirmed that Keifer Bonvillain is his son. He declined further comment.</p><p>Keifer Bonvillain attended South Terrebonne High School, and is listed as a senior in the school’s 1988 year book.</p><p>Keifer Bonvillain also is the younger brother of John Fitzgerald Bonvillain Sr., who was found guilty last month of killing 19-year-old Ashley Scivicque and hiding her plastic-wrapped body in the trunk of his car.</p><p>John Bonvillain also is accused of killing his wife, Cheryle McCann Bonvillain, whose body was found in a box inside their home. He’s set to stand trial for her murder later this month.</p><p>Keifer Bonvillain’s uncle, former Terrebonne Parish councilman Willie Bonvillain, said he hasn’t kept in close contact with Keifer and learned of his arrest Monday.</p><p>"I was surprised," said Willie Bonvillain, who currently serves on the Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority board. "You don’t know what these young people are going to do these days."</p><h3>BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS</h3>
<p>Samborn refused to confirm Winfrey was the target. The criminal complaint identifies Keifer Bonvillain’s aim as "Individual A," who was "a public figure and the owner of a Chicago-based company." The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, citing unnamed sources, have reported his target was Winfrey.</p><p>There was no response to phone messages left Monday by the Associated Press seeking comment from Harpo Productions Inc., Winfrey’s company.</p><p>Keifer Bonvillain’s attorney, Kent Carlson, also did not return an Associated Press phone call.</p><p>According to the complaint, Keifer Bonvillain met a California-based employee of the Chicago company at a party more than two years ago, then recorded conversations with the employee about the owner and her business.</p><p>In mid-October he sent the owner an e-mail, telling her an employee said awful things about her, the complaint states.</p><p>A month later, Keifer Bonvillain sent a letter saying he had tapes of the conversations, an FBI agent alleges in the complaint. In response, another company associate called Keifer Bonvillain and learned he had taped 12 hours of those discussions.</p><p>Over the next few weeks, Keifer Bonvillain told the associate he wanted to publish a book based on the tapes and claimed he had received offers of $500,000 to $3 million from tabloids and book publishers, the complaint says.</p><p>"There are a lot of people who would want these," Keifer Bonvillain said, according to the complaint.</p><p>The associate, who was working with the FBI, agreed to a $1.5 million price, wired Keifer Bonvillain $3,000 in earnest money and arranged to meet him in the parking lot, the complaint says. Keifer Bonvillain was arrested the next day.</p><p>Keifer Bonvillain told the Chicago Sun-Times the charges were a misunderstanding.</p><p>"There is nothing to it," he said. "It’s nothing. It was a big mix-up."</p><p>An Associated Press call Saturday to a number for a Bonvillain in Atlanta reached a recorded message saying the line had been disconnected.</p><p>The Associated Press contributed to this story. Courier staff writer Mika Edwards can be reached at 857-2202 or mika.edwards@houmatoday.com</p>